To feel envy is to feel a hunger for something that someone has, whether it’s a concrete object, or less tangibly, an identity or way of life. Jealousy is a desperate view from the opposite angle. The jealous have what they want, but fear losing it, with the suspicion that it is slipping from their grasp.
Jealousy is often a self-fulfilling emotion, as it brings out some of our most unpleasant characteristics, especially when it comes to relationships with others. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the main character is led to believe that his wife has entered into a sexual affair with another man, though in fact she has been faithful to him. Ironically, Othello’s jealous rage at the idea of losing his wife leads him to kill her.
Underlying the emotion of jealousy is the suspicion that the good fortune we have enjoyed has been built upon a weak foundation that will soon be revealed, resulting in humiliation and ruin.
